See the way NYC shuns the German shepherd and the beagle. See the greater appreciation for the poodle in NYC? Should I get a poodle? Should Barack Obama get a poodle? Do these lists help answer those questions?

I agree with MM. Beagles need lots of room to run and they make a lot of noise. Unless you have a lot of time to spend with your dog, country or city, I think it's mean to have a dog at all. Just like I think it is terrible to have a child and keep him/her alone or in day care all the time.

Obama should get a dog that suits his personality and lifestyle. Poodles are very smart and friendly.....well except for those manic depressive types that want to chew your face off.

And by the way, are the names of dog breeds supposed to be capitalized? I see the reason to capitalize French and Yorkshire and King Charles, but why are we capitalizing "Poodle"?

Yes for dog breeds. They are proper nouns sort of like brand names like Ford or Toyota. Not so sure about poodle. If you were talking about the breed Poodle,I think yes. But if you are just saying something like "look there's a poodle", like look there's' a dog....you wouldn't

Best dog for your College Professor lifestyle is a cocker spaniel, with an obedience school degree. The are lapdogs, which is good for the indoor dog role. Their tails do not knock your stuff off all the time as do Labrador Retrievor and other outdoor types. Their bark is seldom heard. They will chase birds, and should be trained to a leash when walked. They also fit into your cars seat when traveling, which they enjoy.

Unless you work insane hours, it's possible for a city dog to be in much better physical & mental shape than a suburban dog with a fenced yard. When I go walking with my dog, we pass by several very neurotic bored dogs who are left out on their own for hours (less so in winter, of course), one of whom runs maniacally back and forth in front of his gate in a kind of trance - it's really sad.

I have a cocker spaniel. The shelter said she was great with other dogs, cats and kids - lies, damned lies! After a year she has improved a lot, but it's lucky she's cute (and I am besotted), because she needs loads of reassurance and discipline. Otherwise she can be very un-cute.

I'm surprised the retrievers are on the list. You wouldn't think that people in the city would want a largish dog, and Labs and Goldens can grow to a fair size. Not as big as, say, Great Danes, that's for certain, but still, they're not Shi Tzu sized either.

I remember a friend who had a German Shepherd while living in an apartment in a big city. It's possible to do it, but the dog really prefers having a yard. Even twice a day walks were not enough.

Another answer to your thread question is do not get a poodle. Poodles are all selfish, neurotic jerks in dog's bodies. They should not be discussed with real dogs which are Loyal..Loving..Patient and Forgiving. Those are the reasons people love dogs. Poodles are only for spoiled masochists with no self respect.

Please, no Lab bashing. They are perfection as far as dogs go. Even with their tails swiping everything off of surfaces and the following you everywhere thing. Those aren't negatives. They are amusing, adorable tendencies. They may not be the perfect dog for every individual, but that's a different argument.

Poodles are awful. And nearly every Poodle owner I've known is awful as well. I guess I haven't known many, but I don't live in NYC either.

While Labs and Goldens can be high-energy and high-maintenance, if you do your research and find good breeders, you can get one that's in a mellowed line that's been bred for a more stay-at-home disposition. Some of the best dogs I've known have been Goldens, though I've never owned one.

Maybe it's cliche, but the best breed is mixed-breed. Mutts are less likely to have congenital defects of purebreds. You can find mutts with much more unique characteristics and physical features. I've had three mutts from the pound, and three purebreds from the pound. The mutts all lived longer, were healthier, better behaved, and more companionable than any of the purebreds.

A Standard Poodle would be a good choice. My experience with them is they are quite unlike their miniature cousins in temperament and loyalty.

President Obama should get the girls a Rottweiler puppy. That'd drive the New York lefties up the wall, not to mention make the Secret Service's and the State Department's job a little easier. I'd offer him my Dane, but she's too much like John Kerry, all jowly and a scaredy-cat pacifist.

I know of only two others on the island. They are really expensive and there is a very long waiting list and the application process is grueling. Once you own a rare clumber though you are connected to the rare clumber circuit and will always be able to get another rare clumber. City dogs are treated like Gods, they have great lives. As many of us city people don't procreate our dogs are our children and we treat them very well and they know it.

Speaking of dogs I am taking care of a couple of the queens dogs in my building this week. They are in Miami this week. Poor things went to Miami this week and it is 50 degress there. Their dog isn't rare or fabulous but she is very sweet and very good. The rare clumbers are being very good to her as well but aren't sure about our new addition this week

Now I have to get back to work. Very strategic today. Offers are going out like crazy.

My question is how are some of Obama's staff going to live on less than 100k in DC. That is just wrong No one should make less than 100k especially when living in a semi fabulous city. DC is not that fabulous but it is semi fabulous. What will 100k get you in DC?

I think a standard poodle sounds like a great Althouse dog. A veterinarian I dated owned a poodle named Fabrice. They're very smart and loving and rather energetic. It will need walking and regular exercise. You obviously have lots of time available for that. How do people exercise a dog during the long frozen winter? A poodle would keep squirrels and bats out of the house, for sure.

Personally, I don't care for the way a poodle's coat feels. Sort of a mix of frizzy/dry and tight perm. I don't like the texture.

We had cocker-poodle cross called a cockapoo when I was a kid. Very, very sweet and my mom taught her to do all the neat tricks.

Sorry if I offended owners of standard poodles. I have no experience outside Toy Poodles. Also the new VP is a Toy that Obama will soon outgrow once he sees how much clean-up time he's going to cause by his narcissitic misbehavior. Hillary can explain it to Obama when a teachable moment arises.

If you and your dog are housebound, play fetch by throwing a ball down the 2nd floor stairs a few dozen times. That should get the cardio-vascular pumped up,orif you are mechanically inclined see how Jerry keeps in shape.

I honestly saw a dog treadmill on The Dog Whisperer. That could work when snowed in. But dogs I have loved are too smart to go outside any longer than you make them when cold, windy rain is coming down. Maybe "dry snow" would be OK? The dog will stand by you during an emergency. I really think they are in tune to their master's hurts and fears, and will guard and console you.

My friend adopted a gorgeous white German Sheppard that had flunked out of K-9 training. Still knew it's drug sniffing stuff, as my pal found out when a guest arrived and the dog "secured" her. Without breaking skin, I might add.

We will have to wait for our implacable dictator of a cat to pass on before we get dogs. I'm pretty sure the cat would try to kill any interloping dog while we were at work. When we do get dogs, we'll adopt from a shelter. But if I were going to get purebreds, I would go with terriers--Norwich, Cairn, or Border.

My in-laws had a new dog at Christmas, a Cavalier King Charles mixed with a cocker spaniel. He was adorable and so much fun.

A standard poodle did $2000 damage to my car when it ran from its yard and T-boned the side of my car, just aft of the front wheel well...head first. I couldn't even get the door open after that. No damage to the dog, that I am aware of. It just ran back up to its front porch and complained to its owner that I had been mean to it.

I'm a dog agnostic. I am gone 12 hours a day and sleep 6 of the remaining hours. I would have maybe 17 minutes to devote to a dog. I suspect they need more face time than that.

My situation is similar to Pogo's, plus I live in a zero lot-line neighborhood, so my backyard is smaller than some people's sidewalks. I think it would be cruel to subject a dog to such conditions, but it doesn't stop some of my neighbors from owning them.

Jacques Chirac did not have a poodle, he had a "Maltese Poodle," better known in the states as a Maltipoo, or a cross between a Maltese and a Miniature Poodle. Not only that, the dog was suffering from a mental disorder.Poodles have an excellent, sweet temperament, and rarely bite.

I'm a dog groomer, I should know.

Shih Tsu's, long-haired dachshunds, and members of the retriever and spaniel families (with the notable exception of the American Cocker Spaniel) are all very sweet breeds that I see frequently in my shop.Schnauzers, American Cocker Spaniels, Chow Chows, and Welsh Corgis are the most frequent biters we see. These breeds are all treated quite carefully when we meet a new one, until we find out whether or not it's going to be nasty. (With Schnauzers the overwhelming majority will bite at first, but can be won over with gentle treatment).

Dogs like Pugs, smooth-coated Dachshunds, and the Spitz breeds are generally very nice dogs, but not very tolerant of being "picked on"-- clipping nails and such can be dangerous in these breeds, but they don't usually bite without good reason.